Comments on: Bradley Manning sentenced to 35 years, defense moves for Presidential Pardon

By: Hamill

Hamill — Sat, 24 Aug 2013 00:44:15 +0000

Well a cogent argument. No name calling, no spitting, how refreshing. A little background. I was a 98C and 97B for twenty years. That’s electronic warfare, and counterintelligence. I saw and heard things that disturbed me, and I reported up the chain of command. I did not empower myself with the authority to simple disclose information as I saw fit. I sorry boys and girls we live in a tough brutal world of diminishing resources. The are whole groups of people that would like to see our way of life utterly destroyed. Manning didn’t disclose the information out of some rush of moral indignation. He was a narcissistic little man with delusions of grandeur who felt under appreciated. And to think this very troubled individual is lifted up as a martyr. It’s laughable.

By: Hamill

Hamill — Sat, 24 Aug 2013 00:22:45 +0000

Ad hominem, really nice George, your a real asset to the individuals trying to defend Mr Manning’s actions. Keep up the good work. I usually vote democrat by the way. The thing that never ceases to amaze me is the hypocrisy of those that enjoy our freedoms and standard of living the most. Those that demonstrate and damn the methods used to maintain our security and standard of living are always the first ones to complain when either fall short. I’m guessing you’ve never served you country in any way. You tell your youngsters that military service and government service in general is not a wise career choice. Some of us love or country, our freedoms, our way of life so much we are willing to fight and die for it. Cliche maybe, a joke to a lot of folks, but its a way of life for many. We can take all the crap from uninformed half wits, but when someone from our own ranks betrays us, what we are sworn to defend, it is the worst kind of betrayal. Now you sleep tight George,and you think of some more nasty things to say. That’s your right, your freedom and someone else is protecting them for you.

By: Joe Howard Crews

Joe Howard Crews — Thu, 22 Aug 2013 09:36:19 +0000

to Wei-Ting: You speak with deep understanding and a knowledge of history.

By: Joe Howard Crews

Joe Howard Crews — Thu, 22 Aug 2013 09:32:47 +0000

To Hichem: That is my fervent hope, also. Merci.

By: Joe Howard Crews

Joe Howard Crews — Thu, 22 Aug 2013 09:31:07 +0000

to Valerie: Bradley Manning has served his fellow comrades in arms well. He saved the lives of many troops, by expediting the end of the Iraq War. We would still be in Iraq if it were not for release of these documents.

Valerie, there are too many Americans rooting for these unnecessary wars and the resulting mayhem and suffering they cause. War is HELL. War is a RACKET. War crimes are not noble acts of patriotism

This alone makes Bradley Manning a HERO.

By: Joe Howard Crews

Joe Howard Crews — Thu, 22 Aug 2013 09:25:09 +0000

Great idea! And boycott Britain as well, less you get the David Miranda abuse and torture.

By: Joe Howard Crews

Joe Howard Crews — Thu, 22 Aug 2013 09:22:39 +0000

So Bradley Manning released 700,000 low-level documents. Perhaps a bit overboard, but he erred on the side of TRUTH and transparency, whereas the military and the administration erred egregiously on the side of secrecy and autocracy.

Some of the arguments for enforcing secrecy seem convincing until one looks at the documents and discovers the crimes, incompetence, duplicity and deceit. Then one realizes these documents need to be released to the American people, so that we can know what evils are being done in our name.

Bradley Manning has served his country well. We owe him deep gratitude.

By: Joe Howard Crews

Joe Howard Crews — Thu, 22 Aug 2013 09:15:55 +0000

TO Wei-Ting: A very valid point you make.

One of the few benefits of the U.S. being tied down with its unnecessary wars of choice in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Libya and others foreign lands has been that we have been so busy fighting Muslims that we had to neglect Central and South America. What a boon for our southern neighbors, now free from the interference in their internal affairs, so that they could work toward building their economies and democracies. Miracles seem to happen when we stay out of foreign entanglements and interference.

By: Joe Howard Crews

Joe Howard Crews — Thu, 22 Aug 2013 09:07:04 +0000

Well, OK. Blame GW “Dubya” Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz … and blame “Barry” (Obama) … but do NOT blame Private Bradley Manning. He was doing his duty to report War Crimes.

But start at the top with the instigators responsible for these illegal and immoral wars. Don’t start at the bottom with the enlisted man.

By: Joe Howard Crews

Joe Howard Crews — Thu, 22 Aug 2013 09:00:33 +0000

HAMILL: You have the common misconception that a soldier takes an oath of loyalty to the Commander-in-Chief. A soldier’s oath is one of loyalty to the Constitution, not to the president. Not to Congress or the Supreme Court. Not even to god. It is to the Constitution. Bradley Manning has been faith to his oath and to the American People.

the oath of office for President of the United States has a clause in it similar to the first clause of the soldier’s oath: “preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.” So what is one to do when the President violates his oath? The third part of the oath of enlistment specifically mentions obedience to the President, the Commander in Chief. What a predicament this places on the honor-bound soldier — his oath in conflict with itself! What is a soldier to do when he is confronted by thousands of cases of war crimes, malfeasance, debauchery and duplicity, as was Bradley Manning?

The law is very clear on that: Such conduct must be reported, and if local commanders do not respond, the witness must go over their heads to members of Congress, or even to the press.

This is not a “Blood and Crips oath”. It is not an Mafia oath of secrecy. It is an oath of honor and transparency, but for the honor of the Constitution and the American People.